WASHINGTON – A South China man died early Saturday when the all-terrain vehicle he was operating struck a rock wall, overturned and landed on him.

The accident happened just hours before the victim, Nicholaus Tucker, 24,was to get married.

Tucker was operating the ATV near the Washington-Palermo line when it crashed at 12:05 a.m. Saturday, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. He was traveling south on a dirt road testing out a friend’s ATV, said Sgt. Steven Burns.

Tucker expected to be gone 15 to 20 minutes and wasn’t wearing a helmet. When he failed to return, his older brother went looking for him and found him under the overturned ATV.

Tucker’s brother was able to remove the ATV. Meanwhile, more family arrived at the accident scene, Burns said.

Tucker was unconscious, unresponsive, with no pulse and no respiration, Burns said. Family members began CPR immediately.

Tucker was taken by ambulance to Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport, where he died of head trauma at 1:51 a.m. Saturday.